Hoop Dreams Nation looking to bring summer tournament to Pueblo

Friday

The world is in a wait-and-see type of moment when it comes to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

But that doesn’t mean plans can’t still be made to have a little fun.

Hoop Dreams Nation, an organization based in Colorado Springs, is looking to give prep hoopers some summer experience still with outdoor, 3-on-3 tournaments.

And the group is looking to host one in Pueblo sometime in mid-June, if guidelines will allow for it.

“We are looking at putting things in place for how we can return to getting kids back out on the court,” president and founder of Hoop Dreams Nation, Karla Chappel said. “We know this is going to have to look completely different from what anything else has looked like before.”

Hoop Dreams Nation is an organization that helps teams put together fundraising tournaments for club boys and girls basketball teams, as well as a few high schools.

The organization has worked with local club girls team South Central Elite and has helped put on tournaments for Pueblo West High School’s boys team.

“Our goal is to give kids opportunities on and off the court,” Chappel said. “There was nothing really in Southern Colorado so we had to go to Denver every weekend before.”

Carlos Lopez, coach of the South Central Elite team and current Central girls basketball coach, and Cyclones coach Ty Trahern are helping Hoop Dreams Nation pick out a potential spot for a Pueblo tournament around mid-June.

The obvious choice for an outdoor tournament is The Slabs, which Lopez said is one of a couple spots the group is looking at.

But what's more important than location will be the process of how the tournament is run and done safely.

Chappel stressed the importance of operating the tournament differently from anything before, part of which is not allowing spectators.

Previous tournaments in Colorado Springs and Denver have been set up for live streaming, which Chappel said is still a hurdle in a Pueblo location.

But safety will come first in order to help players get time on court.

“We’re going to have different procedures in place from what you would normally see,” Chappel said. “The way a basketball game is administered is going to look different.

“We’re trying to put things in place to get us going while following the state recommendations and the CDC recommendations.”

Chieftain sports reporter Austin White can be reached by email at awhite@chieftain.com or at twitter.com/ajw_sports.

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